Past Simple: Rules, Examples & Exercises

The past simple tense is used to talk about actions or events that happened and were completed in the past.

Try this exercise to test what you know about the Past Simple.

Was this too hard? There are more exercises at the bottom of this page.

Structure
- Regular Verbs (Past Forms)
- Irregular Verbs
Past Simple Conjugation Table
When to Use Past Simple
- Time Expressions
- Key Points
Past Simple Exercises

Structure

The past simple tense is formed using:

Affirmative: Subject + verb (past form).
Negative: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base verb.
Interrogative: Did + subject + base verb?

Regular Verbs (Past Forms)

For regular verbs, the past form is formed by adding -ed to the base verb.

Play → played, work → worked, visit → visited.
For verbs ending in -e, just add -d:
Love → loved, like → liked.
For verbs ending in a consonant + -y, change the -y to -ied:
Study → studied, carry → carried.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow a set rule and have unique past forms:

Go → went, eat → ate, see → saw.

Irregular verbs have a different conjugation only for affirmative sentences.
Here’s a list of them.

Past Simple Conjugation Table

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When to Use Past Simple

The past simple is used in the following situations:

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Confusing with Present Perfect? Click here.

Time Expressions

The past simple often uses these time expressions:

yesterday
last week / month
in (a specific year)
when …
… ago

I studied yesterday.
He traveled last month.
They moved in 2020.
I was at the park when you called.
I saw him two days ago.

Key Points

Affirmative: Use the past form of the verb (regular or irregular).
Negative: Use did not (didn’t) + base verb.
Interrogative: Start with did, then use subject + base verb.
Use time expressions like yesterday, last week, or ago to give context.

Past Simple Exercises

If speaking is all need: click here for Speaking activities

EXERCISE: Write a complete sentence in the Past Simple

Write complete sentences in the Past Simple. Use affirmative, negative, or question forms as indicated.
Example:
Prompt: she – play the piano – yesterday (affirmative)
Answer: She played the piano yesterday.

1 / 10

we – enjoy the concert – last night (negative)

2 / 10

I – eat breakfast – this morning (negative)

3 / 10

he – call me – yesterday (negative)

4 / 10

they – play football – yesterday (question)

5 / 10

she – see the doctor – last week (question)

6 / 10

you – go to the party – last Saturday (question)

7 / 10

I – finish the book – last night (affirmative)

8 / 10

he – walk to school – last Monday (affirmative)

9 / 10

we – watch a movie – yesterday (affirmative)

10 / 10

she – visit her grandma – last weekend (affirmative)

Your score is

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